Arts & Entertainment
Tony Awards: De Niro slams Trump, Parkland students perform
‘The Band’s Visit,’ ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ win big

Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, performing Rent’s ‘Seasons Of Love’ at the 2018 Tony Awards (Screenshot via Twitter)
The 72nd annual Tony Awards, hosted by Rachel Bloom, featured a clean sweep from “The Band’s Visit” and “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two” as well as plenty of onstage antics.
“The Band’s Visit” won 10 awards including Best Musical, Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical and Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical. “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two” won six awards including Best Play and Best Director. Another notable win was “Angels in America” for Best Revival of a Play. Andrew Garfield also won for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play for “Angels in America.”
The ceremony included many memorable moments but Robert De Niro’s not so subtle dig at President Donald Trump appeared to be a crowd favorite.
“First, I wanna say, ‘f**k Trump,'” De Niro said before introducing Bruce Springsteen. “It’s no longer ‘Down with Trump,’ it’s ‘f**k Trump.”
His bleeped out statement was met with wild applause.
Robert De Niro’s popularity is suddenly rising in Canada. pic.twitter.com/30LPxiWg7f #TonyAwards
— David Beard (@dabeard) June 11, 2018
Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Drama Club performed the classic song “Seasons of Love” from the musical “Rent.” Their rendition earned them a standing ovation from the crowd.
Nearly five months after tragedy struck their school, drama students from Parkland, Florida, took to the Tony’s stage with an emotional rendition of “Seasons of Love.” https://t.co/sAwQVVlwZL pic.twitter.com/wJEEWaIACn
— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 11, 2018
Also that night, their drama teacher Melody Herzfeld was honored with a Tony Award for excellence in theater education.
Herzfeld hid 65 of her students in her office for two hours during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting.
“I’m overwhelmed. But I hope that this award will remind everyone of how vital and important arts education is to our kids. Drama, music, art, creative writing that’s how you make good citizens,” Herzfeld said in her acceptance speech.
Offstage, Neil Patrick Harris and Bloom got into an awkward Twitter interaction when Harris didn’t recognize the “My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” star.
“Who is the woman in the top hat backstage at @TheTonyAwards? Gideon remarked that she says ‘like’ and ‘oh my god’ a lot. I’m confused,” Harris tweeted during the ceremony.
Who is the woman in the top hat backstage at @TheTonyAwards? Gideon remarked that she says ‘like’ and ‘oh my god’ a lot. I’m confused…
— Neil Patrick Harris (@ActuallyNPH) June 11, 2018
Bloom responded that she did, in fact, know Harris.
“I’m a big fan of yours,” Bloom replied. “We’ve met numerous times and my husband, Dan Gregor, wrote for ‘How I Met Your Mother’ for 5 years. Notably, he wrote the episode where your character finally meets his father.”
I’m a big fan of yours. We’ve met numerous times and my husband, Dan Gregor, wrote for “How I Met Your Mother” for 5 years. Notably, he wrote the episode where your character finally meets his father.
— Rachel Bloom (@Racheldoesstuff) June 11, 2018
Harris didn’t apologize for the slip but tweeted, “Indeed! Well said. Thanks for the reminder. How was backstage?”
Indeed! Well said. Thanks for the reminder. How was backstage?
— Neil Patrick Harris (@ActuallyNPH) June 11, 2018
See the complete list of winners below.
Best Book of a Musical
“The Band’s Visit”
“Frozen”
“Mean Girls”
“SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical”
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
“Angels in America”
“The Band’s Visit”
“Frozen”
“Mean Girls”
“SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Andrew Garfield, “Angels in America”
Tom Hollander, “Travesties”
Jamie Parker, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two”
Mark Rylance, “Farinelli and The King”
Denzel Washington, “Eugene O’Neill’s The Iceman Cometh”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Glenda Jackson, “Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women”
Condola Rashad, “Saint Joan”
Lauren Ridloff, “Children of a Lesser God”
Amy Schumer, “Meteor Shower”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Harry Hadden-Paton, “My Fair Lady”
Joshua Henry, “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel”
Tony Shalhoub, “The Band’s Visit”
Ethan Slater, “SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Lauren Ambrose, “My Fair Lady”
Hailey Kilgore, “Once On This Island”
LaChanze, Summer: “The Donna Summer Musical”
Katrina Lenk, “The Band’s Visit”
Taylor Louderman, “Mean Girls”
Jessie Mueller, “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Anthony Boyle, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two”
Michael Cera, “Lobby Hero”
Brian Tyree Henry, “Lobby Hero”
Nathan Lane, “Angels in America”
David Morse, Eugene O’Neill’s “The Iceman Cometh”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Susan Brown, “Angels in America”
Noma Dumezweni, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two”
Deborah Findlay, “The Children”
Denise Gough, “Angels in America”
Laurie Metcalf, Edward Albee’s “Three Tall Women”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Norbert Leo Butz, “My Fair Lady”
Alexander Gemignani, “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel”
Grey Henson, “Mean Girls”
Gavin Lee, “SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical”
Ari’el Stachel, “The Band’s Visit”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Ariana DeBose, “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical”
Renée Fleming, “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel”
Lindsay Mendez, “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel”
Ashley Park, “Mean Girls Diana Rigg, My Fair Lady”
Best Direction of a Play
Angels in America
Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women
Travesties
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two
Eugene O’Neill’s The Iceman Cometh
Best Direction of a Musical
Once On This Island
The Band’s Visit
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical
Mean Girls
My Fair Lady
Best Play
“The Children”
“Farinelli and The King”
“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two”
“Junk”
“Latin History for Morons”
Best Revival of a Play
“Angels in America”
Edward Albee’s, “Three Tall Women”
Eugene O’Neill’s “The Iceman Cometh”
“Lobby Hero”
“Travesties”
Best Musical
“The Band’s Visit”
“Frozen”
“Mean Girls”
“SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical”
The Capital Pride Alliance presented the 2026 Capital Pride Honors at “The Audacity Brunch: In Full Fuchsia” at the Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C. on Sunday, June 7.
(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)












Out & About
Congressional Cemetery hosts Gays & Graves
Daylong Pride celebration blends history, remembrance, art and community
Historic Congressional Cemetery will host the second annual “Gays & Graves: A Big Gay Festival” on Sunday, June 14 at 11 a.m.
The event will feature pioneering activist Randy Wicker, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, and new public art installations and programs celebrating LGBTQ+ history. Gays & Graves is an official partner event of Capital Pride 2026.
This event is a daylong Pride celebration blending history, remembrance, art and community. Visitors can shop from LGBTQ+ and allied artists and makers, experience performances and interactive installations, and engage with programs exploring LGBTQ+ history and lived experience.
For more details, visit the cemetery’s website.
Baltimore Pride is underway, taking place from June 8-14.
The Pride Parade will be on Saturday, June 13 at 12 p.m. at Charles Street & North Avenue, followed by the Pride Block Party at 1 p.m. at Druid Hill Park. And then the Pride Festival will be held on Sunday, June 14 at 12 p.m. at Druid Hill Park.
There will be an array of additional events including: a fashion show, a “Suits and Sneakers” reception and a 5k race, among many other events.
For more details, visit Baltimore Pride’s website.
